Judas Goat Taberna is Now Open

Sheep beware! A Judas Goat will lead you to slaughter, while its own life will be spared. Thankfully, we Homo sapiens possess an arguably higher level of intelligence that allows us to better assess the threat of imminent danger. It was this fight or flight response mechanism which found us venturing deep into the underbelly of Gastown on a dark Friday night against all our better instincts, along a trash bin-strewn, junk and junky-scattered Blood Alley, and safely through the door of Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn’s newly opened Judas Goat Taberna.

Packed into a teeny tiny space are 24 seats, a long window ledge and stools, one group table and a series of two-tops, a miniature open kitchen featuring Executive Chef Lee Humphries, and a back bar displaying wine and Sherry bottles next to a spotlit bust of Belgian cartoon adventurer, Tintin. Most noticeable is the gigantic text mural by local artist, Robert Chaplin, its words regaling the stressful work life and subsequent nervous breakdown of one such Judas Goat. (Check out its full story and text here)
Seated at the prime people-watching window stools, we sipped our piquant Spanish ’06 Vino Zaco Tempranillo (only $38 for the bottle, $7 for the glass). Due to opening weekend hustle and bustle, we were told sangria recipes were in the midst of being perfected, and that we should keep an eye out for a “sangria-off” in the very near future.
We’re given golf pencils and paper panel menus upon which we’re instructed to write down how many of each item we’d like in the accompanying box, which gleefully reminded me of Chef Carles Abellan’s Tapas 24 in Barcelona, considered by many to be the best tapas joint in the Catalan capital.
The list of ingredients is immense, ever clever and playful, like the two bite bruschettas ($2.25 each or four for $8) that featured chorizo, sweet caramelized onion and warm dark chocolate, all sharing the surface of one tiny crostini. Sherry-stewed mushrooms and melted Comte cheese made for another great version of this nibbly as well.
Vibrant and tangy red and golden beets were served with greens, aged Sherry vinegar and shaved ricotta to make for a perfectly seasoned starter salad. Following that were the city’s best meatballs, of the most decadent beef brisket variety, served pintxos (or pinchos) style with tiny toothpicks in a piping hot spicy tomato sauce.
Under the category “Pressed, Potted, or Cured”, we found plump and luscious prawns potted amongst a citrusy pistachio butter, to be spread over its accompanying crostinis. And then came the lamb cheek. With exactly the type of colourful flavour combination for which Chef Humphries has developed an unwavering foodie following, this category winner featured crimped leaves of Savoy cabbage surrounding meaty pieces of warm lamb cheek, served as a slice of warm terrine and finished with an earthy white truffle oil.

Just a hop, skip and a jump from its sister restaurants, the Irish Heather, Shebeen, Fetch Hot Dog Stand, Salt Tasting Room and the Salty Tongue, Judas Goat Taberna is a welcome new addition to this ever-expanding empire. At this rate, we’ll have a different Hawthorn, Heather & Humphries-run establishment to frequent every single night of the week.

Is it possible to enjoy nice food and a glass of wine here at this place looking onto the disparity of blood alley and the homeless? It seems like it’ll be more difficult for us to ignore with such a wide open storefront. And I’d hate to think what the people living on the street think of us at a shiny new place. Oh well, that’s getrification for you.

Billy Jo, the homeless don’t hang out in Blood Alley. If you have lived in Gastown for 14 years as I have and walked up and down Blood Alley 20 times a day as I do, you’d know that the Alley is/was mostly frequented by drug users, 99% of whom have a roof over their heads…. Many of these folk find the traffic caused by my businesses to be too disruptive for them to continue their activities. I employ 80 people in DTES, pay my taxes, and help to make Blood Alley safe for folk who do not do drugs but need a place to sleep….Oh well, that’s also gentrification for you!!

Billy Jo, I agree with Sean. The responsibility of the homeless and drug issue should not fall on business people who are doing their best, and I might add taking a big risk, to improve a long neglected neighborhood.

This is our society’s problem. And it will not go away until we get real with it.

Government policy, at all levels, Federal, Provincial, and Municipal, as well as International, has passed the buck on poverty, mental health issues and drug addiction for decades.

Pointing the finger at Judas Goat for being a nice place amongst a tragic scene, is just not fair.

I apologize for the tone, I didn’t mean to point the finger at anyone. From a customer’s point of view, I do wonder whether diner’s will feel any guilt eating at an establishment that blatently creates visual disparity from the people outside. Is there a way to perhaps show a bit of modesty?

billy jo, what kind of business would you prefer open up down there? “And I’d hate to think what the people living on the street think of us at a shiny new place” You must have some serious guilt issues if you actually give a fuck about the opinion of the junky who just broke into your car to steal a loonie and then left a shit with a used syringe stuck in it. Maybe spend some time down here to see what we, the business owners, are doing to help out those who want to better themselves. If you have a problem with students getting jobs to put themselves through school, parents making a living to support there families and others just working day to day to get by because you worry some meth head might feel insecure seeing that then you really need to take a look at what kind of society you’d like to live in.
There is a real problem down here that needs a lot of attention but creating employment and making the area safer is not this “evil Gentrification” you way to easily dismissed it as.

Show a bit of modesty? as I said earlier, the homeless don’t walk down Blood Alley. Drug users and drug dealers used to own the alley, but since the arrival of Salt and some other factors, most of these guys find the alley too busy for their activities. I have lived here longer than most of these guys and yet you’d like me to show some modesty so that they can continue use drugs, freely in the street? It is bizarre to me that your question is not “why don’t the drug users/dealers take their illegal activity away from a tax paying, law abiding business?” Something is wrong when you are more concerned with their rights over mine! I’m not trying to be confrontational, though I am probably failing, but do you actually live down here? Have you even been in Blood Alley recently?

I too live in Gastown and have for several years. True, you do see “questionable” things, but it is no different than you would see on most downtown cornes or alleys.

The face of Gastown has changed dramatically in the last few years (even the last 6 months). Walking up and down the streets here on a daily basis you get to know these people… their face, their name… By in large they mean no harm to anyone but themself.

I would suggest that Mr. Heather has done more for the DTES than a certain Premier or Mayor has done.

We all at one point have had that extra pint or glass of wine and stumbled home. Does that make us any better than these people?

I remember when I was a kid – walking from Chinatown along East Hastings passing by the Only, Save On Meats, Army and Navy – before making our way to Woodwards. We would sometimes have lunch at the giant Golden Crown dim sum palace across the street.

It was noisy, busy, with an odd mix of people, including good amount of the poorer residents of the downtown eastside. It didn’t feel gentrified – just alive and real.

I think its great that there is an influx of business moving back into the area, and hopefully, bringing back some of the vibrancy that has been sorely lacking. I think that this can be done in way that respects the rights of local residents (the vast majority of whom – I am sure – would also like to see the open dealing and drug use go away).

I think its better that there is interaction and engagement in that neighbourhood rather than people turning their backs and ingoring it, and hoping that someone else will make it go away.

As the General Manager of both Salt Tasting Room and Judas Goat, I just want to throw in my two cents, although most of the relevant points here have already been made by both Sean and Tyson.

The important thing is that these two businesses have, as Sean said, reduced open drug trade and also property crime in our immediate area. We are not going to apologize for preventing further decay of the DTES by our “gentrification” This is a living, breathing, growing city – progress will be, ideally, ongoing. We’re not giant corporations swooping in after some international board of directors agree that the disparity of rich and poor would make for interesting optics.

The amount of locals who now make Gastown part of their regular life has increased dramatically over the last few years which, believe it or not, increases awareness and assistance to the many social ills and conditions in our neighbourhood.

And those who are hard done by, trying to get back on their feet, off drugs and social assistance, those living in the Stanley across from the Judas Goat who you are so concerned about, who are you exactly are you speaking on behalf of? Is it Andy? Kenny? Ken Foster? Jenna? Alex and his girlfriend who just had a baby girl named Rain (they proudly dropped off the birth announcement card which hangs in the staff area of Salt)? Do you know any of their names or their stories?

We do, because we are their neighbours and their friends. We talk with them every day. They’re the ones who ask how our day was, and wish us good luck on the new place. When people are walking up and down Carrall trying to find Salt, they’re the ones who point them the right way and escort tourists if they’re nervous about walking down the Alley. They are the ones who alert Sean if there’s suspicious activity going down outside of one of his businesses overnight. They are the ones who make Sean late for meetings because they stop him to chat and see what’s new as he walks down the Alley.

They are the ones who are insulted when people they don’t know try and speak for them and they are the ones who laugh and roll their eyes when we pass on bizarre perspectives like those above.

And let’s not even get into the amount of charity all of our businesses and us individuals have provided to these people, shelters and programs in the DTES over the years and the curiosity of what those people who call us out have done for our neighbourhood as of late.

I wasen’t too concerned about Billy Jo’s comments; after all most people reading this have probably been to Salt.
Seeing the owners and entire management team pounce to defend their establishment has blown this issue way out of proportion and it looks now like you are picking on poor Billy Jo.

I am so glad another establishment has opened up in Blood Alley. Actually when Blood Alley was first conceived and built in the 1970’s, there were a couple of restaurants and some great stores there. (check out city archives for pics) Unfortunately, due to inadequate city policy and the growth of the drug trade in the DTES, it had fallen into disrepair. So in a sense, the influx of restaurants is kind of reclaiming Blood Alley square for businesses which was why it was built in the first place. The city should be paying huge respect to the Heathers and others who are actually cleaning up the area and once again making it safe – stuff the city should be doing themselvers.
And Billy jo -I don’t think anyone who goes to Salt or Judas Goat feelsguilty that they are drinking a beer when the drug users in the alley are using taxpayers money to buy drugs and fuel the drug trade. At least I don’t.
The End
Chris

As someone who both lives in Gastown and used to work at Salt I have to echo the sentiments of Kurtis, Sean, Scott and Tyson. And yet, for those who read my Morning Brew, you would know that I constantly explore the negative aspects of gentrification. So why this apparent contradiction? Because this is not the kind of gentrification one should be worried about. And as Sean said, why is it up to them anyways, especially when a major reason for the decline of the area was the major banks vacating the area. Yet I doubt you would rail against, say, a TD bank opening in Woodwards after it abandoned the area decades before. The real issue is develpopers like Concord Pacific sitting on real estate, waiting for someone else to clean up the mess. Besides, Gastown was first gentrified in the 70s, as an alternative to the proposed Project 200 which would have destoryed most of Gastown and Chinatwon. Interestingly, the only building completed now houses both of Vancouver’s major daily newspapers (both had previously been situated in the area -The Province directly across from Woodwards abandoned the area in the 70s). Even the name Blood Alley is a product of revisionist history by those who wanted to preserve the history of Gastown, namely DERA, an organization which is today labeled with the epithet of Poverty Pimps. Ironic.

In fact, the Vancouver Sun and the Province moved to the Pacific Press building at 2250 Granville in 1965 and remained there till 1997. The Pacific Press building occupied the entire block bounded by Granville, Hemlock, 5th and 6th Avenues. The site is now occupied by condos and shops.

thanks for the clarification, i didn’t know exactly when that happened i just find it ironic that at the former so-called worst block in Vancouver, that fateful twist in the road at Cambie, the Province, long before their shock and awe militarily named Operation Phoenix. Remember everyone, Woodwards closed BEFORE crack and meth was even in the DTES.

This debate was started when someone simply drew attention to some of the uncomfortable contrasts and circumstances that occur when the extremely wealthy move in with the extremely poor. This not unique to Vancouver – every North American urban centre has gone through the same thing.

What makes the Downtown Eastside different is that the high rates of addiction mean the neighbourhood suffers from a health epidemic. The residents need to be near the services (housing, medical, injection-site, and so forth) that are clustered in the neighbourhood. If they are forced to move away from those services, it could prove fatal.

So Heather argues his businesses are helping clean up Bloody Alley. Others would say that’s called displacement. They’re both right.

But the important question is, where did the drug users go? Detox? Treatment? Another alley? Another neighbourhood? Are they dead? Who cares! You’re tax-payers, they’re not! What’s important is that you’ve opened up another restaurant that these people can’t possible afford to frequent.

How many of the low-income residents of the neighbourhood (addicted or not, homeless or housed) can actually afford this food? And what impact do you think the growth of all these high-end restaurants (and boutique shops) are having on rents in the neighbourhood?

I’m not suggesting that Heather should open up a soup kitchen, or shut down his establishments (a mix of incomes and businesses can be healthy), but what about creating some affordable options on these menus? Why not open one, just one, restaurant where people can get a healthy and hearty meal at a decent price and feel comfortable sitting down and eating at.

I don’t mean to be a dick because you seem like nice guys. You know the residents and treat them well. You give back to the community on some level. That’s all extremely important and valuable. Not everyone does that.

But don’t think that just because you made some friends in the ‘hood doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people pissed at what you’re doing (most of whom are low-income DTES residents who speak for themselves thank you very much).

Those that live in the Stanley are safe because they were lucky enough to get into social housing. They won’t be displaced. But the Gastown gentrification continues to crawl east and south, pushing those unlucky enough to have not secured social housing out of the ‘hood.

It’s an uncomfortable reality. But another bottle of Spanish ’06 Vino Zaco Tempranillo will make it go down a little easier.

E.T.R., while you know my name, you know almost nothing about my family, my staff, my businesses or me.

I have a cafe where you can get a decent meal at a decent price, it has been located in DTES for 7 years e.g. Breakfast sandwiches with free range eggs, handmade bacon, aged cheddar, made to order for $2.75 Meat loaf sandwich on artisan bread for $6.95, add on home made soup and a salad for a $1 each.

5 nights a week I offer a nutritious meal and a beverage for $15. I recognize that as cheap as it is, it still isn’t cheap enough for many people down here. So, starting next month, once a month, I’ll be opening up my 50 seat communal table to the residents of the Pennsylvania Hotel, where they’ll be fed a nutritious, balanced dinner & dessert, for free

Salt and Judas Goat have both gone into previously derelict buildings. And the only people that the Heather displaced were a notorious biker gang. Presumably you have no problem with that?

My email address is sean@irishheather.com Why not contact me? In Ireland where I grew up, debating is a national sport. Why don’t we meet for a coffee, and discuss what you and I believe to be true….you never know, we might both walk away a little wiser. Believe it or not, we both have the same goals for the hood; we just go about it differently.

It should be noted that these new businesses and residents in Gastown are occupying previously empty sites or previously commercial site and there has been vertually zero displacement of low income people due to these new businesses or so called market residents. Zero functioning SROs in Gastown have forced people on the streets to make way for this so called gentrification. In fact the city has an anti conversion bylaw that makes it virtually impossible to convert an SRO into something else.

Gastown is becoming more of a mixed neighbourhood again not because of the displacement of low income residents but because of the return of businesses and people to previously unused commercial spaces and market housing sites in the area. This is an important distinction to make.

Woodwards added 200 social housing units to a site that previously had none along with 500 market where they did not exist either.

I don’t think think those that can afford to eat in a nicer restaurant should feel guilty to do so or look down on those that don’t. I also don’t accept the argument that my mere presence is disrespectful and uncomfortable to someone else. I’ve never not said hi to anyone in blood alley that has said hi to me and I’d encourage everyone else to do the same. There are a lot of people walking the back alleys of the DES and they just want to be treated like a regular person. Say hi. When they ask you the time tell them. They might not have a watch and that’s why they are asking.

Back to Billy Jo’s remark about Judas Goat creating visual disparity in Blood Alley, which sparked this whole debate. His critique i think was more centered on the “fish tank” design of JG than the business concept itself. So far, all feedback i’ve heard has been stellar except for this feeling of exhibitionism on to the courtyard of DEYAS – an established youth detox home and counseling center; NOT the same criminals which the neighborly Heather has claimed dominates blood alley. Indeed, dealers may frequent the area to prey on vulnerable targets, but this is somewhat consequential to an imperative social service. Even if action was taken to increase police presence in the courtyard, at-risk youth would still sit in front of JG patrons who find this awkward. It seems that there was no consideration of limiting the visual disparity, like say put up frosted windows, in the design plan.

Watson26- The Youth that use Deyas enter through the Cordova Street entrance. Likewise the homeless that use the shelter..they don’t enter through Blood Alley.

What I said earlier was that my businesses, along with other factors, were scaring off some of the drug dealer/users. And I didn’t actually use the word criminal.

No word from “Eat The Rich” yet, but the invitation is still out there to E.T.R. and now Watson26 or anybody else who have concerns. Meet me, walk the Alley with me….I can defeat most of these arguments with the truth/facts.

Of course, it remains to be seen if anybody is actually interested in the truth!

Billy Jo questions my business practice, and its an observation, I defend my business and I’m picking on Billy Jo.

For the record Kurtis and myself were the only management/ownership that commented on Billy Jo’s comments-not really the entire management team pouncing on Billy Jo.

Fair and unbiased discussion? hardly. Maybe if we knew who Billy Jo, Watson26 and E.T.R. actually were, whether or not they live in Gastown, etc. their comments would have a lot more credibility. Despite being invited to meet with me, to engage in an open discussion, there are no takers.

I guess that it is easy to speak untruths when nobody knows who you are and you can’t be held accountable.

I won’t be adding anything else to this discussion, as there appears to be a “don’t bother me with the facts” attitude. If anybody actually wants to discuss Blood Alley, you know where to find me.

This is to ETR. I have lived near Blood Alley for ten years, and no one has been displaced by the opening of the restaurants. The Terminus and Garage were damaged in a fire a while back and no one was living there for years.
The only people who are being displaced are the drug dealers for which I am grateful.
I still see the same folks from the Stanley Hotel every day and I speak to them regurlarly and they were also sick and tired of those dealers intimidating them each time they walked through the alley to their home. What I think Sean has done is great as he has improved the neighborhood for all residents.

All good points but the truth is restaurants do not displace or disrupt the homeless or drug users. Bravo to Scott and Sean for revitalising unused alleyways, creating jobs, and giving even more taxes o the city.

Gosh …. I stumbled across this “dialogue”. We traipsed past the 2 bistros in BA on Saturday taking a slight detour. I was intrigued that we finally had dual frontage commercial enterprises (reminded me of Barcelona) and life in the enclaves. Looked at the menus and animation inside and must confess I was intrigued, although a bit hesitant to venture inside. But now I will be back! So refreshing to have locally-owned businesses with a definite connection with their environs. And, my spent dollars trickle down through the local economy too. And … great food!!

Sean, I’m a bit unnerved at some of your comments. You seem to suggest that homelessness is not a problem in Blood Alley. I can tell you that until the construction on the block was done there were pobably about 4 or 5 people sleeping every night under the stairs and awning of the Stanley, and if tit wasn’t for the staff at the Stanley and the shelter, there would be dozens more, like there used to be about 10 or 15 years ago.
I also want to say, it’s not just a drug issue. Most of the these people have mental issues too and most of them have gone through pain and hardship few of us will ever experience. Just remember that one third of the homeless are native. Over 60% of native children are sexually and physically abused. Any surprise you see so many natives who are homeless?
Also, when a person has a mental illness and an addiction the drugs are usually an effort to self medicate the condition.
I feel like talk of “I’m a taxpayer” versus “they made bad choices” comes off as sounding smug. It’s like your saying, they’re not our problem let’s sweep them under a rug.
I like your food and your restaurants but I’m a bit surprised by your attitude. Of coarse you want to business to succeed and I believe you can without putting anyone out of their home. But we have to be clear that people who made bad choices led fucked up lives, much of what happened then was not their fault, and now they live in a situation where because of powerful addictions they may not ever change. But that is still a human being and if we say it’s okay to brush aside their needs, then we make it that much easier for these people to be victimized, like they already are everyday. That attitude creates the opportunity for a monster like Pickton to get away with the most heinous kind of murder. Revitalize the neighborhood, fine. Great. But don’t expect to push the poor and the natives out. And please educate your more ignorant customers who think nothing of these people, as if they were less than human. As if they would secretly welcome a mass murderer butchering natives and homeless people with open arms.

For the record, I don’t blame Mr. Heather’s establishments for any loss in social housing. He has helped the community and breathed much needed life into a decaying area, which is a good thing in and of itself. My issue is with comments like Tyson’s, that try to further degrade people who don’t deserve further degradation.

IMO, gentrification doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As long as people aren’t displaced, the new businesses have the potential to be an uplifting force for people, for communities, especially those who have the potential to kick drugs and move on from an impoverished life.

I’ve eaten at many of these establishments. Back in the day when I worked as a social worker, I used to eat lunch at Blake’s, dinner at the Heather, on weekends I occasionally had the extreme pleasure of a fine drink at Shebeen. Since then I’ve enjoyed Salt as it is a wonderful dining experience. And I look forward to dining at Judas Goat when I get the chance.

But I can understand why some people would be uncomfortable eating fine food while across the alley, others are malnourished. I had these feelings when Boneta first opened. While I loved the food, an affordable fine dining experience, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable that my clients would never get to eat inside there. The divide is large and I think it’s only human to feel bad about that, even guilty. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop eating at Salt. It’s not Sean Heather’s fault that others are in a bad situation and it’s not his restaurants fault if poor people are being pushed into the margins again. (But we as citizens should do more, call the politicians, etc. to protect the rights of the poor)

It always upsets me when people say degrading things about the poor and I am disturbed whenever I meet someone who expresses disgust and animosity towards the homeless. And I feel that is is every compassionate citizens responsibility to challenge those views which have only exacerbated the debilitating existence of the poorest and saddest among us. It’s not right to kick a man who’s already down. I’m just old school that way.
Please eat at Mr. Heather’s restaurants. They are all fantastic. But don’t feel bad about feeling bad. It just means you’re still human inside.

Wow ..I was just checking your web because a friend posted on FB that they were goign to check you out tonight. I live in the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack actually.

I’m so surprised and challenged at all the comets and opinions.I would be nice we would all just have the old fashion bless you thing happening. Just wanna say after reading all this..We need to be more encouraging whether we are rich poor or homeless, we all have addiction or hang ups some are open some are hidden..But it does not mean we can not encourage each other where we are at.

Like the gift this man has and the creativity just busting out of him to create and serve and make money..that is his talent and he should go for it not shut down or feel guilty because of his status in life or were he opens his Cafe, he has had his fair share of issues he says so encourage and bless him and his new adventure & business.

As far as the home less and yes we have a very high percentage here in the Wack as well, well we can not live our lives ignoring but we also can not go around feeling guilty becasue we do have money or shelter..We all are gifted in so many ways and we all see thing so differently but we all can help in our own way..and yes there will always be those who choose to ignore what they see because of there own issues.

It may be a simple hello or some $$ or a smile, those who are gifted and have a talent and want to serve in another way or lager scale should do so not because they feel guilty either but because they genuinely want to help the homeless or addict and not make others feel guilty because they dont help like you do!!!I grew up very poor and have lived on the reserves and yes the problems seem to be growing. If I can help just one of them at a time that works for me, to encourage and help them or lead them to it anyway and encourage them that they are valued and mean something even with all the bad they have done or the bad they had happen to them.!!

I cant wait to come and check out this new little Taberna it looks amazing, I may be to expensive but then again it may not be?? I may see a addict or homeless person and I may just smile or may give them $$ it all depends but I wont shut a eye or feel guilty either that leads no one down or up a good path!! but I will bless and be wise at the same time!!!